The Perfect Present
by Strawberry Moon 007
Summary: Mina wants to give Marik a birthday present but is unsure what to get him. All she wants is for him to enjoy the day, but she hasn't planned on revealing something more... My first Goldshipping! :D warning: fluff- fluff everywhere! Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and Yugioh is owned by Kazuki Takahashi


**It finally makes its debut, **

**Marik Ishtar x Minako Aino - i call it Goldshipping! :)**

**Happy Birthday Marik!**

"Hmm…" Mina Aino surveyed the shelf in front of her with a thoughtful expression.

"Mina? You've been staring at that shelf for a while. Are you ok?" Her cat Artemis asked next to her.

Mina sighed. "Yeah, but I still haven't found anything good yet!" She made a face as she realised she had been looking in the gardening section. "Ugh he wouldn't like that!"

"Mina?"

"Serena!" The blonde lit up at the sight of her friend, who was running towards her with an armful of shopping bags. "What are you doing here?"

"The latest issue of bride magazine comes out today!" Serena's eyes sparkled. "And I had to get the first copy!"

"Awesome!" Mina grinned. "So you're already planning the wedding I see!"

Serena blushed as she looked down at her heart shaped engagement ring. "I might've been … looking into certain stuff! So what are you doing here? Never thought I'd see you in a bookstore that didn't have a manga section!"

"I could say the same to you!" Mina stuck her tongue out playfully. Serena grinned.

"How 'bout we talk about it over some hot fudge sundaes?"

Moments later the two blonde Senshi and Artemis were seated at their favourite table at the Crown Fruit Parlour.

"So what is it you're searching for?" Serena asked through a mouthful of marshmallows.

Mina sighed as she twirled her straw around in the glass with her finger. "Marik's birthday's coming up and I really wanna get him something special! But I've been looking all morning and still nothing!"

"We must've gone to at least five different stores already," Artemis gave a loud yawn as he curled into a ball on her lap.

"He's a duellist right? How about some new cards?" Serena suggested.

"Serena he already has almost every card known to man and woman, he dealt them for six years! Not to mention he already has a duel disk!" Mina threw her head back in despair. "Boys! All they think about is Duelling! Why can't they like other things that they don't have already so I can give them to them?!"

"Well what about another game? Isn't there that version of Duel Monsters but with action figures?"

"Capsule Monsters?" Mina stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Well he hasn't really expressed an interest in it, I wonder if it has Egyptian God figures…"

Suddenly her eyes lit up. "Ooh there's a Capumon vending machine at the arcade!" I bet we'll find one there!" After slurping the rest of her sundae she got up, dragging Serena with her, shoving Artemis into her bag and throwing some coins on the table before darting off.

Once they reached the arcade Mina made a dash for the small square machine that held thousands of egg shaped capsules.

"Ahaha," She placed her hands on the glass. "You may be buried among the rest of the common monsters Winged Dragon of Ra Capsule but soon I will dig you out and you will be MINE! Mwahahaha!" She laughed maniacally. Serena sweatdropped.

"Ok if you want me I'll be over there!" She said quickly before rushing over to play the Sailor V video game.

"Make me proud girl!" Mina winked making her V for Victory sign before turning back to the vending machine.

"Alright, first go!" She placed her money in the slot and sure enough a small capsule rolled into the entrance. She grabbed it and pulled off the lid with glee only to be met with disappointment.

"Aww man! Harpy Lady? That's not even in his deck!" She moaned. "Oh well, one less!" She shrugged, before pocketing the small figure and placing more money in the machine.

"Winged Dragon of Ra capsule here i co- what is this?! Dark Magician?! What is with the service in this place?! Can't a girl get a rare Egyptian God Capsule Monster on the first try anymore?!" She complained loudly after opening the second prize.

"You know a lot of arcade games are rigged, you might not find the one you're looking for," Artemis couldn't help remarking.

"Ooh! Get back in your bag!" Mina shouted, making him sweatdrop. She rolled up her sleeves. "I am a Senshi for Love and Beauty and in the name of Venus I never give up! Now c'mon heart of the capsules, give me something good!"

And so began Mina's quest for the legendary monster she believed was in the game while Artemis face palmed from his position in her bag. There really was no point in trying to reason with her since when her mind was made up she couldn't be swayed. Serena meanwhile had decided to spend her time besting her high score on her own favourite video game.

"Hey girls!" Andrew came over. "I haven't seen you guys in a while!"

"Oh hey Andrew!" Serena looked up with a smile. Even though she had gotten over her early crush on him she still considered him a good friend.

He looked at Mina who was still bent over the small capumon machine while people were starting to queue up behind her.

"What's Mina doing?"

"She's trying to get a capsule with an Egyptian god monster," Serena explained. "I think she wants that gold dragon one."

Andrew looked confused. "But Capsule Monsters doesn't have a version of those monsters in the game!"

"NOW YOU TELL ME?!" Mina had looked up from the machine to screech. "Fine, lets get out of here!" She got up abruptly, now clutching a plastic bag filled with capsules.

000

"Odion where's my laptop?" Marik Ishtar asked as he slid open the door to the spacious living room.

"It's over there where you left it." His older brother answered, gesturing to one of the sofas where the small computer sat charging its battery.

"Thanks," Marik unplugged the charger from the socket as he picked it up. "Wait, what are you guys looking at?" He had only just realised that his siblings had been opening a large cardboard box that lay on the floor in front of them.

"It seems we've acquired the rights to a special artifact," Ishizu said, holding a printed letter that had presumably been in the box. "

"Let me see… Holy Ra it's huge!" Marik exclaimed as he lifted out a golden tablet with nine individual blocks covered in hieroglyphic inscriptions. Due to his shadow magic he could sense that the object had some kind of special power.

"It feels like the Millennium Items," He poked one of the blocks so it swiveled around to face the other side.

"- Even if it does it isn't a toy." Ishizu hastily swiped it out of his hands. Ignoring his protests she carefully placed it back on top of the styrofoam peanuts.

"So what are we going to do with it then?" Marik asked.

"Well the tablet was previously in the British museum before it was traced back to us so we'll probably take it back there at some point," Ishizu sighed. "Of course we'll have to go to England when we do. And now many other museums around the world are also showing an interest in it, and the rest of the Domino exhibits."

"Hmm," Marik was starting to get an idea. "-Can we go to Tokyo?" He asked suddenly.

Both Ishizu and Odion looked each other. Not only were the various museums all insisting on showcasing the item, but the schedule would mean that they would be abroad for Marik's birthday. Usually he chose to spend it alone, or just like a normal day trying his best not to think about … previous events. But maybe it would be good for him to be out of Egypt during that time, and it was definitely a positive sign that he was actually starting to make friends in Japan.

"Well Tokyo was one of the first to show interest." Odion said, making Marik smile before looking to Ishizu for confirmation. He stared at her for a few minutes before she eventually gave in.

"…Alright, but we'll also have split out time in japan between Tokyo and Domino City, seeing as i've already organised that part."

"You guys are the best!" Marik hugged his brother and sister before leaping over to his laptop. "I've just got to make a quick call!"

When he reached his bedroom he started going over his list of contacts. Of course he'd talk to Yugi and the others, it made him feel happy that they were starting to accept him as a friend. Of course, that had been partially due to another close friend he had, who just happened to live in Tokyo.

"_Bingo,__"_ He thought, as he finally found the contact he was looking for. He had really wanted to see her again for some time.

000

"I'm never gonna find anything!" Mina complained once she and Artemis were back in her bedroom having exchanged their goodbyes with Serena. The plastic bag of capsule monsters now sat right in the middle of her desk. "What kind of a rubbish game is Capsule Monsters if there aren't any one of a kind Egyptian God Monsters who strike down the players who can't wield their power?!"

"You know, have you actually tried asking him what he might like?" Artemis asked.

"You don't think that wouldn't occur to me?" Mina snorted.

**Flashback. **

_Mina: __"__So Marik, what do you like?__"_

_Marik: __"__Let__'__s see, I like Gold, purple, playing Duel Monsters and video games, my motorcycle, I also like Lady Gaga music and pranking people__…__.__"_

**end flashback**

"Ooh unless I can kidnap Lady Gaga I'm stumped!" Mina threw her head back on her pillow among her various animal plashes with a sigh. "And I can't afford plane tickets to America right now!"

"Nice to see you've crossed kidnapping off the list." Artemis deadpanned.

"I know!" Mina's sky blue orbs sparkled. I'll remove the letter L from the alphabet!" She knew about Marik's dislike for the offending letter as most people decided to use it to replace R when spelling his name. Artemis fell off her desk.

"Isn't there something less… impossible?" He croaked.

Mina looked down as she hugged one of her cat shaped plushies to her chest. "It's not that simple, he doesn't even like birthdays! Well he likes other people's, but not his…" She trailed off, thinking about the Egyptian's reason was painful enough to think about, let alone talk about.

"…So I wanna get him something special, so he doesn't have to spend the day being sad!"

"Mina," Artemis said softly, padding over to her. "He's still your friend, and you two have always got on well together, I'm sure he'll like whatever you choose!"

"You think so?" The Venusian looked up.

Suddenly her silence was interrupted by the sudden blast of pop music that was coming from a corner of the room. Turning around they could both hear that it was coming from her handbag.

Blinking Mina went over to the object in disbelief, she definitely knew whose ringtone that was. however as soon as she picked it up she was struck by a sudden nervousness. Since when did she get tongue tied when talking to people? If she wasn't careful she'd end up answering the phone in a voice again, now was not the time to showcase her bad Schwarzenegger impression.

"…Hello?"

"Hello Mina? It's me!"

"Oh, er, hey Marik!" She piped up, trying her best to sound casual. She tried to lean on her bedpost and ended up nearly losing her footing. "So, er what can I do you for? Or what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to say that me and my family will be in Tokyo for a few weeks! There's an exhibit planned in the museum and Ishizu has to oversee it."

"Y-you're coming here?" Mina squeaked. "W-wow that's awesome! But how come you're not going to Domino City like usual?"

"Oh we're going there too. Something about an ancient tablet we now own. But I wanted to see Tokyo properly- I never really got to explore much before! And, I was hoping we'd be able to hang out!"

"Yeah," Mina replied. Then the information hit her. "Yeah!" She exclaimed happily. "There's so many places I can show you! So when do you get here?"

"Our flight's in a few days so we'll probably arrive on the 22nd!"

"_The day before your birthday,__" _Mina thought. "Well anyway," She continued. "I'll be around the day after so if you want just call me and we can have the best time ever!"

"It's a deal!"

As she put down her phone on Mina leapt into the air with an excited giggle.

"I've figured it out! I've figured it out!" She shouted gleefully, picking up Artemis and spinning him around.

"You mean you finally figured out what to get?"

Mina grinned. "Oh yeah! But first," She grabbed her coat and scarf. "We're going out for research!"

000

Finally when the day came Mina strode up to Tokyo museum. _"__I__'__ve finally got it!__" _She thought._ "__I hope he likes it!__" _

Fortunately she didn't have to look very far as she caught sight of who she was looking for at the end of the room.

"Miss Ishizu!"

"Mina?" Ishizu turned around to see the bubbly blonde approaching her. "I was expecting you to show up soon when our arrival in the city was announced!"

"Of course! Why would I not?" Mina gave a laugh. "I really wanted to see you guys again!" She looked around at the various items. "Do you need my help with anything at all?"

"I'm afraid everything has already been set up," Ishizu shook her head with a smile. She knew Mina's heart was in the right place but had heard too many tales from the other Sailor Scouts about the times she had tried to "help" them.

"Good, 'cause I got a huuuge favour to ask you," Mina whispered, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. She delved into her bag and was about to pull out the wrapped present.

"Please could you give this to Marik?"

"Give me what?"

"Aagh!" Mina jumped back as Marik appeared from behind Ishizu.

"Marik! I didn't know you were here!" She began, flustered, shoving it back in her bag. "I mean I knew you'd be here in Japan but I didn't know you'd be here right now! I mean obviously you'd be in Japan right now but…" She had started rambling again.

Marik held up his phone. "I was just going to call you. I think I'd like my tour of the city that you promised!" He looked to Ishizu hopefully.

"Yes you can go, just don't get back too late!" She patted his shoulder. He grinned.

"Thanks sis!" He gave her a quick hug before grabbing Mina's arm and running out the building.

"So where are we going to go first?" He asked once they were at the entrance.

Mina grinned as she pulled out a list of places. "They're all right here, you tell me!"

**Later that evening**

"Did we really just do all those things in a day?" Marik repeated as they both sat on a park bench.

"If you don't believe me just take a look at all the pictures!" Mina got out her phone and started sliding through the numerous photos they had taken in the various sights, there were some lovely ones that they had got random tourists to take of them by some beautiful scenery… and then there were the many selfies taken in spurs of the moments.

Marik burst out laughing at a particularly funny one of Mina trying to do a Sailor Moon impression by holding two odangos up to her head. "Please tell me you'll send me that one!"

Mina tried to keep her expression neutral, of course _that _was the one he would mention. "Of course!" She smiled. "That way you can always remember the fun you had today!"

"Huh?" Marik turned to look at her but she still seemed to be staring ahead at some of the fairy lights that had been strewn around the trees to light up the area in the dark.

"I mean," She continued. "All we can do is enjoy the present and in turn that shapes the future to the best it can be, after all that's why today is called the present- it's a gift!"

There was a brief silence as she slowly turned to look at him as she felt his gaze burning into her side.

"…You had me until the Kung Fu Panda reference." Marik deadpanned.

"NnNgg!" Mina instantly flushed as red as her ribbon. "The point is," She hastily tried to re-compose herself as she finally fished the small package out of her bag. "Is that I really wanted to give you…" She trailed off as Marik slowly edged closer and placed his lips on hers. Her eyes widened for a second but she quickly shut them as she welcomed the embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her waist, leaving the parcel forgotten on her lap.

After a few minutes they broke the kiss.

"Erm…" Mina squeaked as she tried to catch her breath. "…Happy birthday?"

Marik took hold of her hands. "Best present ever."


End file.
